New York State of Mind
by PerkyTxGirl
Summary: Kurt and Jeff have been boyfriends since their junior year in high school and are now sophomores in college. The details of how they got together are in my other story "Unexpected". What happens when Jeff comes to New York for a visit?
1. Chapter 1

Title: New York State of Mind

Author: PerkyTxGirl

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Kurt/Jeff; Nick/Santana/Brittany

Word Count: 10,000 +

Summary: Jeff visits Kurt in New York

Spoilers: None; story goes AU after BIOTA. Might make more sense if you read "Unexpected" first.

Warnings: Sex and violence

Author Notes: Kurt and Jeff have been boyfriends since their junior year in high school and are now sophomores in college. The details of how they got together are in my other story "Unexpected". Kurt is attending Parsons School of Design in New York City while Jeff is attending Case Western Reserve in Cleveland Ohio. They are maintaining a long distance relationship.

Jeff sat in the first class section of the plane next to his best friend Nick. Behind them were Nick's girlfriends, Santana and Brittany. Jeff's mind was busy running through the trip plans and obsessing over all the things that could go wrong. It was his personal quirk that he needed to plan obsessively. The quest for control over chaos nearly drove him crazy at times but this trip to New York was an important test and he didn't want to fail it. He was on his way to see his boyfriend of more than three years, Kurt Hummel. For the last two years they'd maintained a long distance relationship and it was fraying at the edges from the stress of being apart. They'd talked nearly endlessly about what they would do when they both finished college and of course, Kurt wanted to live in New York City, but that was problematic for Jeff at best.

Nick and Kurt argued more than Kurt and Jeff about it. Nick was adamant that the whole thing was a bad idea. He'd been Jeff's best friend since they were nine and while he'd reluctantly accepted Kurt in their life, he still thought he knew his best friend's limits better.

"It's going to be fine." Nick assured his friend, seeing the thoughts cross his face. "We'll just stick to the agenda we've created. Just think about Kurt and how happy he makes you. Forget about the rest." He didn't really believe his own words but he needed to reassure Jeff. They'd spent the better part of a month planning this trip but he had little faith that it would matter in the end.

"That's easy for you to say. There are 20 million people in New York City and I have no idea what they are going to do. Sure, if I were trying to take and hold the city in a military campaign, I'd know exactly what to do, but how am I just supposed to wander down the streets with that many people?"

"Just think of them as NPCs and you'll be fine."

Jeff was silent for a while.

"Nick, do you think Kurt and I are going to make it? These last two years have been so hard. I can hardly stand how much I miss him when we're apart and what if he falls in love with someone else in New York? There must be at least two million gay guys in New York City and what if one of them is perfect for him?"

"You can't think about stuff like that. You just have to take it as it comes. Nobody knows if they are going to be together forever; you just have to enjoy it while it lasts. Ow!" Santana whacked her boyfriend on the back of the head. She supposed she shouldn't but seriously sometimes she couldn't help herself when he said stuff like that. Not that she disagreed or was into mushy romantic stuff but he should at least pretend for Jeff's sake. "What was that for?" protested Nick as he turned around to see Santana scowling at him.

"You _know_ what. Enjoy it while it lasts? WTF?"

"Oh, you want me to lie. OK, Jeff, you and Kurt will be together forever. You're going to grow old and have tons of grandkids. Better?"

Jeff snorted. "I prefer it when you're honest. And Santana, you hit Nick again and you'll regret it. Don't think that I care that you're a woman."

"Thanks, dude. For protecting me from my own girlfriend – that isn't humiliating at all."

"As if he could," objected Santana. "I may be small but you both have to sleep sometime."

"They will, you know. Live happily ever after. I know it's true because Lady wrote it in my diary the other day," interjected Brittany, who had until now been staring vacantly out the window.

Nick and Santana gave each other knowing looks. They'd long since given up trying to convince their lover that cats couldn't read or write. While the two of them were busy in college Brittany had started a successful cat psychic business. They really couldn't argue with the fact that the girl got results in her now thriving business. Cat owners came to her with their problems and she invariably solved them. She claimed that she could read cat's thoughts and that made it easy.

Jeff turned around and peeked over his seat at the blond woman behind him.

"Really? Is she clairvoyant now?"

"No, she hates water. But she totally claims that she can see the future."

"That's what clairvoyant means."

"Oh. Well, I don't know. She lies a lot so she might have just made it up but I still think you and Kurt are meant to be together. Like me and Santana."

Nick glared at her until she amended "And Nick. He's totally meant to be with us too."

An announcement that the plane was landing interrupted their conversation so the four young travelers buckled up and were silent until they arrived at the gate.

As the four of them poured out of the breezeway into the terminal, Jeff looked around nervously. He took in the layout and the number of people and tried to suppress his natural tendency to start scenario analysis. He wasn't very successful as he started running through all the possibilities he could think of. It helped that he'd spent the better part of a month memorizing the layout of the airport and all the buildings on their agenda, studying all the routes they'd be taking on Google Maps street view and in general trying to plan for anything that could happen. It was overwhelming because New York City was just too big and there were too many people here. He was nearly starting to panic because the scenarios were running fast in his head, but not fast enough when Nick took his arm and spoke calmly.

"We have to go to baggage claim now. I've got your back. You know everything you need to know. If anything happens we'll just react, OK? You can't run scenario in your head and you'll just fry your brain trying. Come on. Kurt will be at baggage claim and he'll kill me if I bring him a boyfriend with a fried brain."

With that, Jeff found he could start moving forward. Brittany and Santana chatted excitedly behind them as they reminisced about the last time they'd been to New York back when they'd come here for Show Choir Nationals. He could do this. He was totally prepared. Nick was right - he knew everything he needed to know for all situations.

Nick watched his best friend carefully as they walked along the airport corridors in the direction of the baggage claim area. Jeff was a huge grab bag of contradictions. On one hand, in his own element, he was confident, a natural leader, easy going, funny, and laid back. On the other, in new places, with new people, in strange situations, he was paranoid and prone to panic. When he met new people he was tongue tied and often silent which was generally taken for shyness, but Nick knew better; Jeff was just trying to figure them out. Nick thought of him as paranoid but Jeff considered himself thorough and prepared.

Jeff had spent his whole life in carefully constructed structured environments: attending a small private school as a child, Dalton Academy for Boys in high school, and finally attending a small exclusive private university, Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Perhaps his father had gone overboard to protect him and maybe Kurt was right that he just needed to push his limits and he'd adjust. This trip to New York was going to be the test to see who was right.

There he was, standing near the baggage claim area for their flight. The man who could make his heart race after all these years. Whose touch could melt all the tensions, whose kisses still thrilled him as much as they had on their first date. Damn. he missed holding Kurt so much that his arms ached from the emptiness some days. But not today.

Kurt laughed and snaked his arms around his boyfriend's neck as the taller blond picked him up in a fierce hug. His feet barely touched the floor again when their lips locked in a hungry battle to make up for lost time. They hadn't seen each other physically in a month since Kurt had last visited Ohio and it was too long. Jeff's hands roamed and fell to rest on Kurt's ass as Kurt stroked Jeff's back, never letting up the assault with his tongue.

Kurt was in his arms, so solid and real. Not like the image of him Jeff saw every night when they talked. The image that was so incomplete without this warmth. Jeff buried his face into Kurt's neck taking in the scent of him. The lightest touch of his cologne, under that shaving cream, and best of all the scent that was pure Kurt. Jeff missed that the most when he was sleeping alone at night.

"Dudes, I know New York is pretty liberal and all but seriously, I don't think having sex in the airport is actually legal."

Nick's unwelcome interruption caused the men to part and glare at him. He was right; they were getting a bit carried away but did he really have to ruin a perfectly good make out session with logic?

Jeff took Kurt's hand and led him in the direction of a seating area along the wall. Kurt didn't fail to notice the position Jeff took. When they were first dating, he'd been oblivious about these little touches, the way Jeff liked to have his back to the wall, how aware he was of his surroundings and the people who were in the room with him.

"It's going to be a while before our bags are here so we might as well settle in," Jeff sighed. "I've missed you so much, beautiful," he said as he slipped his arm around Kurt.

"I've missed you, too. I'm so glad you're here. We're going to have a great time this week." Kurt snuggled into his boyfriend and laid his head on the larger man's shoulder with a contented sigh. They talked every night via the web so technically they saw each other plenty, but Jeff missed this so much - the tactile part of their relationship. He needed it like he needed air and now that he had Kurt in his arms as usual he never wanted to let go. They'd been doing this dance for two years now; Kurt begging him to come to New York and Jeff pleading for Kurt to return to Ohio.

-0-0-

Kurt instructed the driver to take them to the hotel first where they'd drop off Nick and the girls. Jeff had insisted that they couldn't possibly just get into random cabs with drivers that he knew nothing about - never mind that Kurt did it every day. So he had hired a car and driver from the service that Jeff's father and godfather used when they were in New York on business. Jeff was paying for it so Kurt indulged his boyfriend. He suspected that Nick and Jeff had run a full background check on the driver and the car service. Who was he kidding. Suspected? He knew they had. After three years he took his boyfriend's eccentricities in stride.

They dropped Nick and the girls off without incident; they'd be joining them at Kurt's apartment later once they got settled in.

"So this is my apartment," explained Kurt unnecessarily when they made it through the door. "Jillian is gone for the whole week so we have the place to ourselves" he continued with a sexy smirk.

Jillian, Kurt's roommate, was a fellow student at the design school and currently visiting her family during the spring break.

"I'll give you the tour," started Kurt, but his boyfriend had other ideas. He didn't want a tour, after all he'd seen Kurt's apartment virtually many times and right now that wasn't the physical reality that Jeff was interested in.

Jeff pulled Kurt into his arms and growled "too many clothes" as he tried to get Kurt out of his complicated outfit.

"We could take this to the bedroom," laughed Kurt as he finally shrugged out of his shirt and pulled his boyfriend's t-shirt over his head.

"Way too far away," replied Jeff as he started trailing kisses down Kurt's chest. He paused briefly to give Kurt's nipples some attention but he was eager to move downward, sinking to his knees. Jeff ran his finger along the treasure trail leading to the waistband of Kurt's pants.

"I'm going to blow you now," purred Jeff and unbuttoned Kurt's jeans.

"You do that," smirked Kurt. This was the first time this scene had played out in Kurt's apartment but it pretty much always went this way when Kurt came to visit Jeff in Ohio.

"And then what are we going to do?" he asked innocently as Jeff pulled his pants and underwear down to his ankles.

"After you come in my mouth, I'm going to fuck you, then you're going to fuck me, and after that blow me."

"All before dinner?" Kurt asked skeptically.

Instead of replying Jeff took Kurt in his mouth and began to work him over sloppily, moaning happily as he alternated between sucking and bobbing. He didn't waste any time teasing because he needed it too much. There'd be plenty of time later for romance, teasing, and tenderness. Now he just reveled in the heavy feel of Kurt's cock in his mouth. The taste of it on his tongue. The taste he never tired of. Taking him all the way, Jeff buried his nose into Kurt's coarse thatch and breathed in the masculine scent of his lover.

Kurt tried to make a snarky remark but all that came out of his mouth was a breathy moan and the incoherent sentence "Unrealistic...oh fuck...talented...oh shit Jeff don't stop...nah..." as he thrust his hips forward in response to Jeff's hands squeezing his ass.

Kurt met his lover's eyes and felt the familiar thrill of seeing Jeff, a masculine figure that he'd expect to dominate him, take him forcefully, on his knees sucking his cock like a slut. The sight never got old. Kurt tangled his fingers in Jeff's blond hair and whispered hoarsely, "You're such a cock slut, aren't you?"

Jeff pulled off only long enough to reply "only for your beautiful cock, only yours" before taking him back into his oh so very talented mouth.

Kurt didn't even bother to warn Jeff when he felt his climax coiling tightly in his groin. Jeff knew his lover's body so well he would be expecting it. Kurt gave a wordless broken cry as his seed filled Jeff's mouth. His lover greedily swallowed it all then, replacing his mouth with his hand as he gently stroked Kurt through the aftershocks.

Kurt's knees buckled but Jeff supported him as he rested his head on Kurt's hip.

Kurt finally recovered enough to think about the fact he was standing in his living room with his pants around his ankles, so he tried to step out of them before realizing that he still had his boots on. He stumbled back and ended up sitting down on the couch as his boyfriend laughed at him.

"Way to be a great boyfriend. Just laugh at me and let me fall on my ass," Kurt teased.

"But the couch was right behind you," Jeff laughed with a snort. "And you looked so adorable flailing around like that. How could I interrupt your moment there? I'll make it up to you. I promise," he continued as he crawled into his boyfriend's lap and straddled him. Jeff began to cover Kurt's lips with sweet kisses as he murmured, "I love you, beautiful. I would never let anything bad happen to you."

Kurt wrapped his arms around Jeff and replied, "I love you, too, but my pants are still around my ankles; you have too much on and I don't think I'm getting that fucking you promised unless we move it to the bedroom."

"I don't know," said Jeff with a sly smile. "I could bend you over the couch and take you right here."

The thought made Kurt's dick twitch a bit even though he wasn't recovered from that spectacular blowjob yet.

"As hot as that would be, I think I'd rather have pillows, comfortable sheets, and lube. All of which are in the bedroom."

Jeff helped Kurt out of his boots and then shed his own clothes as they headed to Kurt's bedroom. Kurt spread out on his bed face down and relaxed as his boyfriend started caressing back, slowly sliding his hands down to cup his ass. Kurt spread his legs shamelessly, enjoying the attention. This was a kink of Jeff's - fucking Kurt when he was relaxed and spent from his first orgasm of the night. Over the years they'd explored each other and gotten to know each others kinks. Jeff had quite a few but they were all relatively tame like this one. Kurt didn't mind indulging him at all because he really enjoyed it, too.

"Umm that feels so nice," he murmured as Jeff expertly messaged his prostrate with three lubed fingers. Jeff spent more time than he needed to prep Kurt simply because he enjoyed playing with his ass. He trailed kisses along his back and neck and admired his lover's body before finally lining up his cock, slowly pushing into Kurt. He took his time pushing in so slowly that he could savor every second of the feeling of Kurt stretching around him. The heat, the tightness, the knowledge that he was inside of Kurt was almost enough to overwhelm him to make him lose himself but he managed to maintain his control.

As he drew almost all the way out and slipped back in at the same lazy pace, Kurt whimpered and wiggled his ass in that way that drove Jeff insane.

"Mmm, so good baby," Kurt sighed.

Jeff lowered himself down on Kurt so that his body was basically covering the smaller man, just holding himself up enough not to crush him. The angle wasn't as good and he could only make shallow thrusts now; but it is worth it to feel Kurt underneath him. So smooth, warm, and soft under him just taking what he had to give. Planting soft kisses on his neck at first, Jeff couldn't help but suck on the sensitive pulse spot on Kurt's neck.

"Oh yes, there, that's so perfect. You're so sexy, Jeff," Kurt moaned in response. He loved the feel of Jeff covering him, solid and strong, the way he was marking Kurt's neck, then whispering sweet endearments in his ear. He was half hard now and beginning to feel the pleasant afterglow fade as it was replaced by a more urgent desire.

"Oh, baby, I want to feel you come in me," begged Kurt. "And then you know what I'm going to do?"

"Oh yes, beautiful, yes, please tell me," moaned Jeff. He knew but he loved hearing it.

"Then I'm going to fuck you with your cum still in my ass, dripping out as I take you and fuck you so hard you'll come again. You want that don't you? That's what you want me to do."

"Yes!" cried Jeff as he pulled himself back up to a kneeling position behind Kurt and began to pound fast and hard. "Yes, are you ready for me? Please, beautiful, I want to come inside you. I can't wait much longer."

"Yes, oh fuck yes. I'm ready, give it to me," replied Kurt He was rock hard now.

Jeff grabbed Kurt's hips firmly, thrust deep, and came with a wordless cry that might have been Kurt's name. He pulled out immediately after he shuttered through the last waves of his climax, rolling over one his back.

"Take me, Kurt, please take me now. I've missed you so much. I need you so much," he begged desperately.

Kurt snuggled up against his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Jeff, he whispered soothingly, "shh, it's OK. I'll take care of you, I promise. Just be patient." He kissed softly at first, then deeper as he invaded the blond man's mouth with his tongue. Without breaking contact, he managed to get the bottle of lube open and started rubbing circles around Jeff's hole with a lubed finger.

When Kurt started trailing kisses along his neck and chest, Jeff started begging again.

"Please, Kurt, you don't need to take your time just fuck me now. It's been too long."

"Patience, sweetie. If you were in such a hurry to get fucked, then why did you start by blowing me?"

"I wanted to taste you. You can't blame me for that," Jeff replied with an adorable pout.

"No, I can't blame you for that, can I?" replied Kurt seriously, shaking his head as he applied a generous amount of lube to his cock.

Kurt lifted Jeff's right leg up on his shoulder and planted kisses along his thigh before lining his cock up with Jeff's entrance.

"Are you sure you don't want to just cuddle?" he teased. "I'm fine with that if you want to, you know?"

"Shut up and fuck me!" was Jeff's frustrated reply.

Kurt chuckled and plunged in balls deep in one push, the way he knew his boyfriend liked it. Jeff liked it a bit rougher than Kurt. There were times Kurt worried that he wasn't enough for Jeff, but his boyfriend always assured him that he was perfectly satisfied.

Kurt took Jeff's cock in his hand and began stroking with the same punishing rhythm he was using to pound into his ass as he watched his boyfriend come completely undone. Hair a sweaty mess, eyes blown and dark, lips still swollen, crying incoherent encouragements that only occasionally resembled words.

Kurt was sweating from the effort as he pushed Jeff's knees back to his chest so that he was practically folded in two, eliciting a moan and "oh yes, fuck yes" from his boyfriend as he leaned down, supporting himself on his hands.

"You're so sexy. I love you so much," he murmured before covering Jeff's lips with his own. Running his tongue along Jeff's jaw and nipping at his neck, Kurt then whispered, "Come for me baby. Come on, I want to feel you come."

Jeff gave a keen and Kurt felt the hot wetness his is stomach as Jeff's muscles clamped tightly around his cock. A few more strokes and Kurt was done as well, collapsing on his side, pulling his sweaty tired boyfriend into his arms.

"You're so beautiful, Kurt."

"I'm not right now. I'm hot, sweaty, and covered in semen."

Jeff laughed as he ran his hand over Kurt's stomach, dragging the wet mess all over as he insisted, "I like you like this."

"Thoroughly marked, you mean."

"mmm"

Jeff sucked on the side of Kurt's neck that he hadn't marked yet.

"But apparently not marked enough yet," teased Kurt, making no attempt to stop him.

They lay kissing and touching each other as Kurt occasionally and unsuccessfully tried to get Jeff to leave the bed for a shower.

"I just can't get enough of you," protested Jeff as he continued his attentions.

"You are so sweet to me. What did I ever do to deserve you?" wondered Kurt.

"I miss you so much when we are apart. Please come back to Ohio?"

"We have a whole week together; let's not talk about that until the last day. OK? Get to know New York with me."

"OK" agreed Jeff before covering him with kisses again.

Kurt still hadn't convinced Jeff to stop kissing him long enough to get into the shower when Jeff's phone started playing Nick's ring tone - Raise Your Glass. Jeff fished his phone out of his jeans and hit talk and put the phone in video mode.

"Are you two done sexing it up yet? The girls want to come over now."

Jeff held the phone further from his face so Nick could see them both as he pulled Kurt closer.

"Not really."

Kurt blushing furiously overrode his boyfriend. "Yes, we were about to get in the shower. Come on over. I have a fabulous dinner planned before we head out to the show."

"Oh, stop blushing Kurt," interrupted Santana. "It's not like we don't know what you've been up to. We hear everything when you come to visit Jeff in Ohio. The walls are thin and honestly, it's kind of hot. Can we stay over at your place tonight? Brit really gets off on hearing Jeff beg for it."

"No you cannot!" insisted Kurt indigently.

After they showered and dressed, Kurt started working on the dinner he'd been planning. Jeff sat at the counter, watching his boyfriend flitter around the kitchen.

"Tell me about dinner," he prodded.

"Do you really care?" teased Kurt.

"No, I just want to hear you talk about it," admitted Jeff.

"You are so cute," purred Kurt as he planted a soft kiss on his boyfriend's forehead.

Jeff gazed at his boyfriend, only half listening to the detailed description of Kurt's culinary masterpiece. Mostly he thought about how lucky he was to have Kurt. He missed him so much when they were apart but what could he do? He really didn't want anyone else he was so in love with this beautiful man. Grownup now, not just physically, but so much more confident and strong than when they'd met, he worried all the time that Kurt would decide one day that he'd had enough of having a weird boyfriend. That he'd pick someone more like himself, or at least someone more normal.

Dinner was a success. Everyone complimented Kurt's cooking, especially Nick, who might have been subtly complaining about his two girlfriends, neither of whom could cook. Kurt was skeptical about the safety of letting Brittany in the kitchen, and as for Santana, well she was no one's housewife. In fact, she was planning to go to med school when she graduated.

"Come on, we'd best get going if we're going to be on time," insisted Kurt as he shooed the four of them toward the door. "Rachel's mom went through a lot of trouble to get us these tickets, so get moving."

"What are we seeing?" asked Santana.

"It's new. This is the opening night but according to all the buzz, it's going to be a big hit. Something about bugs, I think. And puppets. I think there are puppets in it."

"Puppets freak me out," objected Brittany.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they are friendly."

-o-o-

The five of them strolled down the side walk as Kurt took them to see his favorite sites. Jeff's hand warm in his as they walked together ignoring the throngs of rude New Yorkers passing them on the sidewalk. Well, Kurt ignored them, anyway.

He did his best to ignore the way Jeff was hyper aware of everyone they passed, the way he scanned the windows in the high-rises as if looking for snipers, the way he was constantly on the lookout for...something. Anything. He also tried to ignore the fact that everywhere they went was on the agenda. He concentrated on making the tour fun, and it was until a man ran by them, not even slowing as he snatched a purse from a woman walking a few feet from them. Kurt barely had time to think of reaching out to his boyfriend and reminding him to mind his own business before he realized it was too late. He hadn't even began to form the words when Jeff was already racing after the man.

"He'll catch him," commented Nick.

"I know," sighed Kurt. It was a foregone conclusion. No one out ran Jeff. Not his brothers, not his cousins, not Nick.

When they caught up with Jeff, he had the unfortunate thief face down on the ground, arms pinned behind his back as Jeff emptied his pockets. There were two switch blades lying on the ground next to him.

"Get this freak off of me!" the man shrieked, but this being New York City, he was ignored.

The woman whose purse had been snatched approached with a sour look on her face. Jeff held her purse toward her from his position on the ground kneeling on top of the thief. She grabbed it out of his hand angrily.

"You're not getting a reward!" she snapped.

Jeff just looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I know how this goes," she continued. "You two are in on it together. He snatches the purse then you retrieve it for the reward. I'm not stupid." With that she turned on a heel and walked off in a huff.

"You kind of are carrying your purse like you are!" retorted Kurt to her back.

He looked down at his boyfriend and said, "Let him go."

"Should we call the police?"

"Too much trouble. Just let him up now."

Jeff picked up the knives and handed them to Nick, then stood up. The thief stayed on the ground looking a little stunned.

"Just walk away," advised Kurt.

He slowly got up, started to hurry off then turned and said "you people are crazy" before running. Kurt kept a firm hand on his boyfriend's arm just in case. Jeff just looked at him and shrugged.

-o-o-

After three days of touring, dinners, and shows, the New York Spring Break Extravaganza was going perfectly in Kurt's eyes. OK, maybe the purse snatching incident hadn't been _perfect,_ but it had turned out all right. He'd lectured Jeff again on the ways of living in New York but he doubted it stuck.

They were at the New York Aquarium, which was the last touristy stop of the day. He and Nick sat reviewing the rest of the day's agenda while Brittany and Jeff were watching the Beluga whales through the giant window into their tank in front of them. Brittany was giggling in delight at the antics as they mimicked her every move, seeming to want to communicate with her.

"Are they baby whales?" she asked Jeff. "They seem so small for whales."

"They're called Beluga whales but they are actually a kind of dolphin."

She clapped in delight at this news.

"So they're gay like you and Kurt!"

"Actually, they are probably bisexual. Well, maybe more like pansexual. Dolphins will have sex with just about anything."

"Like me and San in high school? Awesome."

"I suppose that's a pretty good comparison."

Kurt watched in wonder at the interaction between Brittany and his lover. They had a strange bond that defied logic. Brittany was so spontaneous and quirky in her thinking, though Kurt was careful to never even think of her as stupid. Calling her stupid was a sure way to get on Santana's bad side and that was definitely something to avoid at all costs. Over the years he'd learned that she was actually pretty smart but saw the world in such a different way as to be practically incomprehensible to most people at times.

"Did I miss anything exciting?" asked Santana and she returned with some drinks for everyone.

"Not really. Britt is still entranced by the Belugas/"

"They seem pretty entranced with her, too," commented Santana.

Currently, Brittany had her whole body pressed against the glass and one of the Belugas had his head close to the glass near Brittany's midsection.

"He's giving you an ultrasound," explained Jeff.

"What does that mean?"

"They have sonar so they can see inside of you," he elaborated.

The Beluga backed away and seemed to call the others who started circling in front of Brittany excitedly.

"Oh, my god! They totally love my baby!" The blond girl turned around to face her lovers and exclaimed "Did you see that? They love my baby."

"Baby?"

Nick tried to wrap his head around the seemingly nonsensical word. Baby? What was Brit talking about? They couldn't be having a baby. That couldn't be what she meant.

Santana approached her and spoke clearly and slowly.

"Brittany, what are you talking about? Do you think you are pregnant? Why?"

"I took a test and I totally passed! Plus means I passed and I'm going to have a baby. Aren't you excited?"

She directed the last question at Nick, who was still sitting in stunned silence.

"How? How did this happen?" he finally asked.

Brittany came over and took his hands in hers and spoke patiently because she was so proud that she knew the answer to this question. She'd seen one of her cats, Lady, give birth to kittens.

"Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much, the man puts his…"

"No, not that part. I know how that works. Brit, we always used a condom. I'm sure they never broke. This isn't supposed to be possible."

"Not always. You never use one when we have early morning sex. Or is it late night? I get confused because we've been sleeping a while but it's before Santana wakes me up for breakfast. But you want sex but you never put a condom on."

"You lazy little shit!" growled Santana. "You've been having sex with Brittany without a condom? What did you think would happen?"

"No, baby, I swear. I never did that."

"We do it lots," interrupted Brittany. "And it's kind of weird because you don't talk and it's over really fast but still it's kind of nice. Then we go back to sleep."

"Oh, my God. No," Nick moaned as he buried his head in his hands. "My girlfriend has been raping me in my sleep."

"It's not rape if you both want it," insisted Brittany. "Right?" She looked at Santana with a confused look.

"It's OK, sweetie. You have that right," assured Santana.

"Brittany, sometimes guys just get hard when they're asleep. It doesn't mean anything. I was asleep," explained Nick.

"Oh. I guess that explains why you never open your eyes when we do it."

"I'm not ready to be a father," Nick murmured to no one in particular.

Brittany's face fell and she said sadly, "You don't want our baby?"

Nick looked at his girlfriend's crestfallen face and made a snap decision. He knew he could convince Brittany to just take a few pills and there'd be no baby. End of crisis. She'd get over the disappointment but he realized that he didn't want to do that at all.

"I didn't mean it that way, sweetheart," he exclaimed as he got up and wrapped his arm around Brittany and put his other hand on her belly. "This baby is going to be the most loved and cared for baby in the history of babies. I promise. I love you and I love our baby."

He was rewarded by a beaming Brittany.

"We're doing this?" asked a skeptical Santana.

Nick took another look at his blond girlfriend's glowing face and replied, "Yeah, we're doing this."

"Alright then, Brits, we're having a baby"

"Congratulations," added Kurt looking a little stunned.

"Wait, how did you manage to take a pregnancy test?" asked Nick thinking of Brittany trying to follow the instructions on an insert.

"I helped her," admitted Jeff. "Well not really helped, I just read the instructions to her."

"Dude! You knew my girlfriend was preggers and didn't tell me?"

"Just for a few days because she wanted to tell you herself."

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Nick as a thought came to him. "Kurt, I need your help. Dude, I'm desperate. I really need you to do me a favor."

"What? Nick you're scaring me. Spit it out."

"Wedding. We need to get married right away. Can you make that happen?"

"How soon? I guess you don't want the bride to have a baby bump at the wedding. How far along are you, Brit?"

"I don't know," replied the tall blond girl with a shrug. "The test just said plus."

"No more than six weeks," replied Santana. "And don't ask me how I know that."

"Oh, trust me, I wasn't going to," replied Kurt. "So when do you want to do this? Here in New York?"

"No way," answered Jeff. "Mom would kill you Nick. We have to do it in Ohio and get the whole family involved. And you probably want your other mom there, too, I guess."

"OK, I can do that. Even though I'll have to make plans long distance. I'll design the dress myself."

"And Santana's dress, too," supplied Brittany.

"Of course. I assume Santana will be the maid of honor?"

Brittany frowned and shook her head.

"No, she's the bride, too." Brittany turned to Santana for confirmation. "We're getting married, right?"

"No, sweetie. You're getting married to Nick. I mean, I would gladly marry you but it isn't legal yet in Ohio. Besides, Nick is the father of the baby so you need to marry him. For the baby's sake."

"If you'd rather marry Santana and make her the other parent, I'm OK with that. I'll still take care of everything financially," interrupted Nick. "You can't in Ohio but there are twenty states now where you can. Including New York." Nick wasn't that happy about the idea. If Brittany was married to Santana when the baby was born it would make asserting his parental rights harder if anything ever went wrong between the three of them.

"No, silly. Of course I'm marrying you," the blond said as if it were so obvious. Turning to look at Santana she continued, "And you, too. The three of us are getting married."

Santana wrapped her hands around her tall blond lover's neck and looked up at her.

"No honey, we can't. Not legally. I know it isn't fair but you need to marry Nick. That's what's best for the baby. I promise, you and I will be together forever and no piece of paper can change that. Do you understand?"

Brittany nodded, then shook her head.

"No, not really. But that's OK, I trust you. You can be my bridesmaid."

"OK!" exclaimed Kurt nervously. "Now that that's settled, let's talk dates."

"Memorial Day," suggested Nick. "Do you think we can do it in your parent's back yard? Everyone will be there, anyway."

"Sure," agreed Jeff.

"A picnic wedding?" asked Kurt skeptically. "Really?"

"Yeah," interjected Brittany, who clearly loved the idea.

"OK, I can work with that," admitted Kurt. "That's going to be two months from now so Brit, I'm thinking an Empire Waist. That will take care of the baby bump problem..."

"I need a lawyer," interrupted Nick, "For a will, a trust fund, oh God, so many things..."

"You need a ring," interrupted Kurt in an attempt to refocus Nick on the important things. "And luckily, you are in New York so a trip to the diamond district is just the thing!"

"That's not on the agenda," objected Jeff.

Kurt gave him a "bitch please" look.

"Right, because tackling a purse snatcher was so on the agenda."

"No, this isn't a problem," amended Jeff. "It is totally OK if we go off plan. Nick needs a ring."

"I still need that lawyer, too," insisted Nick.

"No problem. My dad has a firm on retainer here in New York. You can get everything done before we go home," promised Jeff.

The five of them headed out for shopping, which was next on the agenda, anyway. They decided that Kurt and Jeff would stick together, following the original plan while Nick, Santana, and Brittany went shopping in the diamond district.

-o-o-

Kurt and Jeff snuggled back in bed after their shower. Despite the intense loving making that had led to needing the shower, Jeff hadn't been able to resist coaxing Kurt into some shower sex to top off the evening.

Now they were both sated, relaxed, and a little tired, not really sleepy, so they lay snuggling and talking instead of falling asleep.

"Are you happy, sweetie?"

Jeff squeezed Kurt and gave him a nuzzle.

"Very. I love being with you every night. I miss you so much when we're apart."

"You could move here and then we could live together. Think about how wonderful that would be."

Jeff started kissing Kurt's neck as he ran his hands along Kurt's very nicely defined pecks.

"You've been working out, beautiful. I like it very much."

"You're changing the subject."

"Mmm," replied Jeff noncommittally as he started tonguing one of Kurt's nipples.

"That's not going to work," giggled Kurt. "You've already worn me out, studmuffin. You aren't going to get another rise out of me without some Viagra."

"Really?" pouted Jeff. "Not even if I do this?" he continued as he slid lower.

"Even then," laughed Kurt as he pulled his boyfriend back up for a kiss. "And I don't think you're really going to be up for me either. You're just avoiding the topic."

"You said we weren't going to talk about it until the last day."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just I love you so much and I want you to stay with me in New York. But we don't have to talk about it tonight. Its days before you have to go home. And even if you wanted to move here, it wouldn't be until next fall. I'm just being pushy."

"It's OK. I love you, too, and you're perfect just the way you are."

"Perfect?" Kurt asked skeptically. "There's nothing you would want differently?"

"Well, sometimes I do have a pretty perverted naughty fantasy," he answered shyly.

"How naughty?" Kurt was intrigued. Truthfully he thought Jeff's so called kinks were all pretty tame.

"Sometimes I fantasize that you're twins and I can fuck you while you're fucking me."

"Really? You want to be in the middle of a Kurt Hummel sandwich? That _is_ kinky. Besides, I'd never share you with my imaginary twin brother. You are all mine." Kurt teased.

Jeff looked a little guilty.

"Oh, sweetie. You are just too adorable. Even your kinky fantasies are cute. Only you would fantasize about a three way and still only have me in it. I love you."

Jeff smiled and teased back "You love me. You love _love_ me," as he returned to nuzzling Kurt's neck.

-o-o-

It was Jeff's last full day in New York. It has been an amazing week. Of course his time with Kurt was perfect as it always was. On top of that his best friend got engaged to one of his girlfriends. In just a few months, he and Kurt would have the whole summer together. Their fourth summer, which made Jeff more and more hopeful that this was going to work. He was even half convinced that he could live in New York after spending a week here.

The two young men walked hand in hand through the park in the early evening. The sun was low in the sky but it wasn't dark yet.

To Kurt it seemed like the man came from nowhere. There he was standing in front of them. Young, maybe no more than sixteen years old, dark skin and straight black hair in a spiky kind of hair style kids favored these days. Yeah, Kurt noticed that and the way his clothes seemed too big for him before he noticed the gun.

"Gimme your money fags. Don't make me shoot you."

"We don't want any trouble. I'm just going to reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet," replied Kurt in what he hoped was a calm soothing tone that he didn't really feel.

"Don't be a hero, corn fed, or your boyfriend here is going to get it."

Kurt was confused then he realized Jeff was wearing his Ohio sweatshirt and strangely he realized he wanted to correct the boy and explain that it was Iowa that was known for corn not Ohio.

But before he could say anything, Jeff stepped forward, grabbed the boy's wrist with one hand and the barrel of the gun with the other and twisted. There was a sickening snap and the gun was in Jeff's hand. He raised it up quickly, clocked the boy on the side of the head and he when down like a sack of flour. Jeff ignored the boy at his feet until he had unloaded the bullets, placed them in one pocket, checked the chamber and slide the safely on then put the gun in his other pocket. Only then did he kneel and start rifling through his pockets locking for weapons.

Kurt stood in shock while his boyfriend went calmly through the steps. He finally found his voice and asked, "Is he dead?"

Jeff snorted.

"No, he'll have a headache when he wakes up but he's fine. Well, besides the broken wrist."

"Oh."

Jeff stood up and wrapped his arms around Kurt.

"Are you OK, beautiful? We should go back to your apartment now."

Kurt took a deep breath and wondered if they should call the cops. _No, that would just be too much trouble. _He looked down at the boy who now looked helpless and really young.

"We should at least report that this guy is lying here in need of medical attention."

Kurt made the call quickly, not giving his name or any details other than the location of the unconscious boy.

As they walked back, Kurt suddenly remembered the gun still in Jeff's pocket.

"What are we going to do with that gun?" he asked in a panic.

"It's a Glock. I can't take it on the plane so I guess it's yours. You practiced enough on the range and I trust you know all the safely rules. It's probably time for you to have your own gun. Especially here in New York. It isn't a very safe place, apparently."

"I don't want it and I don't want any guns in my apartment, Jeff. How can you think that? I'm fine with the shooting range but this is not cool."

"OK, I'll figure something out. We can't just toss it. Someone will find it and shoot someone."

Kurt thought being shot once would have made Jeff gun shy but it hadn't. He hadn't given up his competitive shooting or his gun collection. In fact, now that he wasn't living under his father's roof and under his rules, the guns were in his apartment not at the storage locker at the gun range any more. It was another long standing argument between them. Rarely brought up but always there, like where they'd live after college. Kurt was fine with Jeff's competitive shooting as a sport, but he didn't want Jeff's love of guns spilling into their home.

"And you should have just given him the cash," grumbled Kurt. "What you did was dangerous. What if you'd been shot? Again. Once is all I can handle, Jeff. You can't imagine what it was like to see you lying in a hospital bed not knowing if you'd live or die. I can't take it again. Why do have to be such a hero. Just don't. Please, for me?"

Jeff didn't really know how to answer Kurt. He wanted to please him. To say the right thing, but he honestly didn't know what that was so he stuck to what he knew was true.

"You can't avoid getting shot if you let a guy point a loaded gun at you. You have to take it from him. That's the way to avoid getting shot."

-o-o-

Later that night, Nick, Santana, and Brittany came over to meet them for a final night on the town. Kurt relayed the events from the park earlier. Nick and Jeff had a confab on what to do with the gun.

"I'll take care of it, dude."

"What are you going to do, Nick?" asked Kurt suspiciously.

"Chill, I'm just going to turn it in to hotel security. I'll tell them I found it. They'll turn it into the cops. Problem solved. It's probably illegal, anyway, so you wouldn't want to keep it."

With the gun problem out of the way, surprisingly they managed to have a good time. They met Rachel and her mom for dinner then went to an off-off Broadway show that Shelby was staring in.

Later that night when Jeff and Kurt were alone in his apartment, neither of them wanted to sleep. After making love, they snuggled and talked, trying to stay awake but eventually Kurt nodded off first, followed eventually by Jeff. They didn't talk about Jeff moving to New York after all; in fact, they didn't talk about anything serious, just silly fluffy things and reminders of how much they'd been through, how much they loved each other.

In the morning, they rode to the airport together and Kurt hugged them all goodbye before the security checkpoint.

"I love you so much," Kurt murmured into his boyfriend's neck.

"I'll miss you," replied Jeff reluctant to let go.

"I know, but I'll be there for Memorial Day weekend and the big wedding. Then summer will be here before you know it. Just think about the whole summer in North Carolina. No cares or worries."

"OK."

Finally, Nick dragged his best friend away and into the security line.

Kurt didn't speak of Jeff moving to New York because he knew it was never going to happen. He would move back to Ohio went he finished his degree. He didn't tell Jeff but he'd made up his mind.

-The end-


	2. Chapter 2

**Memorial Day 2014 – Nick and Brittany's wedding**

The affair was more informal than Kurt would have planned if he'd had a completely free hand but considering the limitations, he was fairly pleased with the result. Of course, the dresses were perfect; he didn't mind patting himself on the back for that accomplishment. It hadn't been easy to create dresses that complimented both Brittany's pale blond looks and Santana's darker looks at the same time. Brittany was only three months pregnant so hiding the baby bump with the Empire Waist line had been trivial and on the plus side it accentuated her tall graceful dancer's body.

Food had been more contentious. Ostensibly, the wedding was part of the Herrmann family annual Memorial Day picnic so the entire clan was there. Kurt put his foot down at the idea of serving the usual picnic fair but Mr. Pierce had balked at paying for all of those guests to eat fancy food when the groom wasn't even technically a member of the Herrmann family. Despite the fact that Nick refused to allow Dennis and Laura to formally adopt him when he was their foster son, they still considered him their son and were happy to pay for the catering at his wedding. Since they were supplying the venue and the entertainment as well, Kurt thought it rather cheap of Brittany's dad to complain about anything.

Two months of planning, bickering, and bargaining had led to this day. He'd had help from Jeff's mom and sisters, of course. Kurt inspected the men in the wedding party and decided that everyone looked as good as they were going to. Jeff in particular looked stunning but he might be prejudice on that account.

Kurt grabbed Mr. Pierce by the hand exclaiming, "Let's go see if your daughter is ready and get this show on the road."

Quinn Fabray wasn't really sure why she'd let herself get roped into this. She'd never really been that close to the ditsy blond who was getting married today. She watched Santana fuss over Brittany's hair and looked over at Tina who seemed to be about to burst into tears _again_ for no apparent reason. Brittany had been wrong in most of her predictions in high school. She hadn't stayed close with most of New Directions. Mercedes was off pursuing her R & B career in Nashville. Rachel had fled to New York City and never looked back, refusing to even come home to visit her fathers for the holidays. Tina and Mike had broken up when she started college at Ohio State and he moved to California to attend Cal Tech. Brittany was still good friends with Tina but Mrs. Pierce had been the one to insist on adding Quinn to the wedding party. For her part, Quinn had agreed because she might meet someone at this weird wedding who wasn't a Lima loser like her other prospects. The Herrmanns were a rich clan, full of handsome blond studs, so her mother had insisted.

Mrs. Pierce eyed Santana with a scowl and interrupted her attentions snapping, "Stop that! Brittany your hair is perfect. You look stunning and with that dress no one is going to notice ...your condition. So Miss Lopez, please stop petting my daughter. In fact, why don't you girls give me a little alone time for a mother and daughter talk."

"I already know all about sex, Mama. Santana taught me everything when we were thirteen. You don't need to worry about anything because I've very good at it."

Brittany looked pleased with herself and seemed oblivious to her mother's discomfort.

"Well," Mrs. Pierce huffed. "Be that as it may, I'd still like to chat a bit, OK?"

Brittany smiled at Santana and nodded.

"It's OK."

The girls left the room and stood awkwardly outside the door.

"I wonder what they are talking about?" wondered Tina.

"It's not hard to guess," retorted Santana. "That women hates me. I'm sure she's trying to fill Brit's head about how it's time get me out of Nick's life. She's so delusional."

"The whole thing is pretty messed up," smirked Quinn. "The both of you? Sleeping and living with the same man? That's just so..."

"Wrong?" snapped Santana. "I don't care what you think Fabray. Brittany and I aren't with Nick. We're _all_ together. The three of us. That's right; in every dirty kinky combination you can think of. And we love it. We love each other and there is nothing wrong with that or us."

No matter how many times they explained it, most people, including Brittany's parents refused to accept it. In their minds, Brittany and Santana were rivals for Nick's affections and Brittany had won, forever relegating Santana to the status of the other woman.

Kurt approached their little cluster with Mr. Pierce in tow.

"Come on, ladies! It's time to get in your places with the groomsmen. We're about to start. Is Brittany ready? Never mind I need to check everything myself," he continued as he dragged Mr. Pierce with him into the room.

The ladies joined the groom and the groomsmen in a cluster outside where they were to start. Jeff, as Nick's best man, was reassuring Nick for the hundredth time that he looked great.

"You have the ring?" he asked again.

"Yes. _Dude_, chill," Jeff assured him. "Just look around; Kurt did a great job and it's going to be perfect. I'll be right beside you so you'll be fine."

The bride and groom were to stand in the gazebo by the pond behind the Herrmann's yard. Temporary folding chairs had been set up and the guests were already seated. There was no bride and groom's side because Brittany didn't have that many guests and the entire Herrmann clan was in attendance, taking up most of the seating.

Nick took his place and watched as the music started and Brittany's little brother and sister walked down the aisle throwing flower peddles, followed by Santana and Jeff, Tina and Trey (one of Nick and Jeff's paintball compadres from Dalton) and finally Quinn and Todd. Todd was their third in command on the current paintball team that Jeff commanded.

Nick looked down the aisle nervously after everyone was in place. Santana caught his eye and winked. _Everything is going to be fine_, he thought as Jeff clapped him on the back.

Kurt was sitting in the front row with Jeff's mother and father. Nick's mom was sitting in the same row in the aisle seat. Nick smiled at her and she started crying. She really wasn't so bad when he managed to keep her sober. Nick had given her picture to the bartender with express orders to not serve her anything alcoholic. He was supposed to smile and make a non alcoholic version of anything she asked for. He was really hoping that would work. She'd been sober for about six months this go round, a new record, and he really didn't want her to ruin his wedding.

The first bars of "Here Comes the Bride" started and Nick felt a new round of butterfly flutters start in his gut. There she was, walking toward him on her father's arm looking positively radiant. This was the first time he'd seen her in the wedding dress and he was impressed. She looked amazing. Of course, Brittany always looked amazing but the best part was the huge smile on her face. She paused every few steps and waved excitedly at the audience and all the tensions Nick had melted away. His only regret was that Santana, while she'd be standing next to Brittany, wasn't officially joining them today. He kept reminding himself that it didn't matter. The marriage was for the baby, not him. They were together and fuck society and their stupid rules that claimed love only came in pairs.

Nick barely paid attention during the justice of the peace's long talk and before he knew it was time for the vows. They'd written their own over Kurt's objection. This was going to be the worst part because even though he'd rehearsed it so many times Nick was afraid he'd choke and forget what he was saying.

Brittany started first, "Nick Spencer..." She turned and looked directly at the guests and explained, "I'm keeping my own name because Brittany S. Pierce is famous and nobody knows who Brittany S. Spencer is because she doesn't even exist. I'm pretty sure my viewers would get confused if they tuned into to Fondue for Two and I said the is Fondue for Two with Brittany S. Spencer and they'd be saying who is that chick? And where is Brittany S. Pierce? And that wouldn't be good."

Santana leaned in a whispered something in Brittany's ear. Nick was biting his lip to keep from laughing.

"Oh, yeah, vows. Nick Spencer," she continued. "I promise that I'll give you blowjobs when I'm on the rag because I love you. Unless I'm feeling really sick or something in which case you just have to take care of it yourself.

Nick looked out at the shocked audience and grinned like an idiot because he was the luckiest guy alive and he knew it.

"Also, I promise to still love you even if you start getting a little bit chubby because I don't mind a little bit of fat to hold on to, and you'd be kind of cute with a little beer belly. I could totally give you belly raspberries and make you laugh. Those are really fun but only if you have a little fat on the tummy. I used to give them to Lord Tubbington all the time before he went to live on that farm really far away."

"And finally, I love you more than anyone else except Santana," with those words, the two woman linked pinkies and smiled as Brittany continued, "so I promise to be with you until you die. Or I die, whichever comes first."

Nick couldn't help it, he was so moved by Brittany's heartfelt speech that he kissed her.

"Young man, you're getting ahead of yourself," admonished the Justice.

"Sorry. Well, that's a hard act to follow," said Nick nervously. "Brittany S. Pierce, I love you with all my heart and I promise to take care of you, always try to make you smile, be kind, gentle, and patient. I'll be there for you no matter what happens in the future; I promise that you can count on me. I'll be a good husband and a good father."

"By the power vested in me by the state of Ohio, I pronounce you husband and wife. _Now_ you can kiss the bride."

Nick pulled Brittany into an inappropriately long and passionate kiss before turning and running down the aisle together as the guests threw a mixture of glitter and rose peddles that Kurt had insisted on.

_I'm never going to get all of this glitter out of my hair,_ thought Nick as he made it to the end of the gauntlet.

They danced together as Ali and her girls' band Strawberry Surprise Treat played "Dream A Little Dream". The song selection, like everything about the wedding, had been contentious. Everyone had an idea of what the first dance song should be including Ali since she'd be singing it. She had wanted to pimp some of her original songs but Kurt pointed out that she had the entire reception to be putting those on display.

After the first dance, Brittany danced with her father while Nick danced with Santana. Crunchy Explosion gave a brief reunion concert with Jeff taking lead. He hadn't really had much time for singing since he started college. He played soccer in the fall, Lacrosse in the spring, paintball year round, and gaming with Nick and maintaining a long distance relationship with Kurt took up the remainder of his time not spent in class. He was a very busy young man and something had to go.

Kurt and Jeff danced until Jeff begged to be let out of his suit. Unfortunately, all too soon, the entire event devolved into the Herrmann traditional rough and tumble get together as formal wear was shed for shorts and t-shirts. Guests that were there for just the wedding disappeared.

Kurt spent much of the day catching up with Jeff's mom, Laura, and Jeff's sisters, Ali and Morgan. By the time Nick, Brittany, and Santana climbed into the limo to go to the hotel for the wedding night, Kurt was willing to call the event a success.

-O-O-

Nick picked Brittany up and carried her into the hotel honeymoon suite while Santana held the door for them. There was no justice of the peace to officiate but their ceremony was no less real to Nick.

"Santana, I love you," he said simply as he slid the ring on her finger.

"Me too" added Brittany as she slid a second ring on her lover's hand. Santana added her rings to Nick and Brittany's so that they all had matching double rings. Brittany then insisted that they go back outside so Nick could carry Santana over the threshold too.

"Are you guys going to carry me as well?" he teased.

Soon the three of them were laughing as they recounted the various combinations of who could carry whom over the threshold. Nick ended the conversation with, "I call middle!" as he jumped onto the bed.

"No fair," pouted Brittany as she crawled into bed next to him. "I wanted to be middle."

"You snooze you lose, my sweet bride. You can be middle next time, I promise." Turning to Santana, who was digging through her bag for supplies, he asked sweetly, "Can I have the purple one? You know I love the purple one."

Santana playfully swatted his ass and admonished him, "You know better. You don't get to decide but since it's our wedding night, I'll let it slide."

"You're not going to spank me?" he asked mockingly.

"Only if you're good," she replied as she snuggled up to him and leaned over to kiss Brittany.

"That _is_ kinky."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Epilogue**_

_**Labor Day 2036 Westerville, Ohio **_

Jeff carried his five year old son, Nick (or little Nicky as most people called him) on his shoulders as he wandered the yard chatting with his family. He knew he should put the boy down and insist that he go play with some of his cousins but he loved carrying him like this. All too soon, he'd be asserting his independence, so why rush it?

The family get together wasn't as large as it was when he was a teenager and all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins were gathered together. These days, some of his cousins came but it was mostly his brothers and sisters, Finn, their spouses and children.

Michael and his ex-wife, Caitlin, were here with their twin children, Wade and Sydney. The eleven year old twins were racing about the yard in some incomprehensible game as were most of the children. Michael and Caitlin had married and divorced each other twice before discovering that they were great co-parents and friends but apparently terrible at being married to each other. They got along fabulously as long a the legal framework between them was a divorce decree.

The two of them accepted slobbery kisses from little Nicky then gave Jeff a detailed account of their children's latest accomplishments. It seemed that everyone's lives revolved around children these day's. That came with age.

He chatted briefly with his younger sister, Morgan. She was between lovers and jobs and came to the gathering with just her daughter. Morgan had never managed to settle down with one person and decided when she was 27 to become a single parent using anonymous donor sperm. A practice so common among her generation that no one batted an eye at the idea.

"Sunny!" cried little Nicky and Jeff was obligated to take his son to the object of his affection. Nick's oldest daughter, Sunday, known as Sunny to everyone who knew her, was standing next to her sister, Blake. Sunny, twenty-two, had just graduated from college and her sister had just started her sophomore year. Sunny was a tall leggy blond like her mother while her younger sister had Nick's darker looks.

"There's my little man," cooed Sunny with her arms held out for the boy. Jeff let her take him as he smiled and hugged each of the girls.

"Thanks so much for the graduation gift, Uncle Jeff. I'm so excited to start my trip abroad. It was so generous of you."

"Your welcome. I thought travel would be a nice change of pace. I'm so glad it suits you."

"You'll love it," added her sister who had spent her freshmen year in Paris. Sunny had been to concerned about leaving her mother but everyone had convinced her that Brittany had a great support system and would be fine without her.

"Where's your brother?"

The young women knew immediately that he meant Briton, Nick's oldest son, not Cal who was only twelve.

Blake sighed and pointed to a shady spot in the corner of the yard where the teenager was sitting still.

"He's in VR. I went in to get him out but he wouldn't come," she supplied. "I warned him that you wouldn't like it but you know how he gets."

"I'll get him out the hard way."

"Uncle Jeff, really? Is it so important?" pleaded Blake. She really didn't get her Uncle's old fashioned thinking.

Jeff left Nicky with the girls and headed toward Briton without further comment. Briton was still as statue. The older generation tended to move their hands and feet in response to the VR stimulus but those in the younger crowd, who'd grown up with the technology, seemed to be able to completely disconnect from the physical world when in VR.

His VR gear looked like an unremarkable pair of sunglasses and earbuds. Jeff unceremoniously reached behind Briton's head and switched the gear off. It was painful, sure, perhaps even a little traumatic but it wasn't really dangerous.

The boy came out cursing using first a string of letters, then Spanish, and finally some choice Chinese epitaphs as he ripped his gear off of his face and glared at Jeff. He looked and sounded so much like his father at fifteen that sometimes Jeff felt physical pain just looking at him.

"Uncle Jeff," he spat in a surly tone.

"You know the rules, Briton. No VR at family gatherings. We only do this four times a year, so I'd think you could tear yourself away for whatever you were doing in there for one day."

"It's so old fashioned. Nobody does this kind of thing anymore and besides they aren't my family. My parents are dead. You aren't really my uncle and those aren't really my cousins."

Jeff ignored the pain of being rejected by Britton and responded with logic.

"What about your mother and your brother and sisters? They're here too. They're your family."

"She isn't my mother."

"I'd think carrying you inside her for nine months would qualify. Family isn't just genetics you know. We all love you. You _are_ part of my family, Briton. Your father was one of the most important persons in my life."

Jeff fought back tears because crying in front of this sullen teen wouldn't accomplish anything. Nick's death had left a huge hole in Jeff's heart and the years hadn't made it much easier to bear. He was still angry and bitter at Nick for leaving them. Nick had lived well and partied hard. He burned the candle at both ends and did everything in excess. He'd had two wives, two lovers, and six children. He threw himself into work and pleasure with equal abandon and refused to listen to Jeff's constant nagging regarding flying. Every time he took his small plane out for a trip, Jeff would recount the hundreds of things that could go wrong. Would go wrong eventually. The odds mounting up with each hour spent in the air. But Nick just hadn't _cared_. He flew until he did crash, ending not only his own life but Santana's as well on that fateful day.

Jeff pushed those thoughts and feelings out of his head. He couldn't afford to have them. He didn't have the comfort of religion to assure him that he'd see Nick again. All he had left were Nick's memories and he needed to remember the love and the good times. To hold onto them tightly in order to keep Nick alive. The memories and his children. With that in mind Jeff turned his attention back to Briton.

"Your father was my best friend for nearly thirty years. I loved him and I miss him too but you still have to live."

"More like a fuck buddy, don't you mean?" Briton pointed out cruelly. He didn't really know why he lashed out so much at Jeff. Sometimes RL was just too much to take and Jeff could push all the wrong buttons.

"Where did you hear a term like that?" asked a shocked Jeff.

"I'm not a baby. I'm fifteen and I have fuck buddies. There's nothing wrong with it."

"You're much too young to be having sex. Who with?" Jeff was seriously worried that he'd been so clueless about Briton's life.

"Sex? As if. I mean eww. That's so gross - exchanging bodily fluids and touching body parts in RL? How could you even think that?"

"Oh, you meant vex. You're not supposed to be able to do that at your age. There are age controls in VR. It's dangerous, Briton. You don't even know who the other person really is. Boy, girl, some dirty old man. I'm going to have to talk to your mother about monitoring your VR usage."

Briton snorted.

"Did age controls work on you back in the dinosaur days of the _internet_."

The boy had a point; they really hadn't. Jeff decided to change tactic and try to just draw the boy out. He'd talk to Brittany later about what to do about it.

"So do you like boys or girls? Or both?" he asked, keeping his tone light.

That drew an eye roll from the teen.

"Seriously? What is this, the middle ages? Nobody cares about gender anymore. That's just so stupid. Picking one gender when you're a baby and then being stuck with that your whole life. Why would I do that?"

"You don't pick your gender" replied a puzzled Jeff. "You just are what you are."

"Not in VR," laughed Briton, his mood lightening inexplicably. "I can be a boy or a girl or both or neither. Just depends on my mood."

Jeff was still mulling that alien thought over when his daughter, Elphaba, came running to them. Ignoring her father, she launched immediately into an excited conversation with Briton.

"Briton, Briton, Briton! Look what I have. Your mom gave her to me." Elfy pull a roll of film from her pocket and rolled it out in her lap where is became a flat screen. She touch the screen a few times and a kitten appeared above the screen. "See? Isn't she so adorable?" she continued as she petted the kitten who responded by nuzzling the girl's hand.

"Yes, she breeds them, I know. That's a really pretty one. They're smart too. Did you know that?" asked the boy with a smile. He was practically beaming and his sweet indulgent attitude toward the younger girl made the weight on Jeff's heart lift a little.

"I _know_! Look at the trick I taught her!" Elfy twisted her hand and in response the kitten rolled over.

"Owning a virtual kitten isn't all fun and games," warned her father. "You have to take care of her and play with her. Can you handle the responsibility?"

She made an exasperated noise that made Jeff feel really old. When had he become the old fuddy duddy?

"Daddy, she came with instructions. I know how to take care of her." Turning back to Briton she continued, "the best part is that when she grows up, she can have kittens!"

"No, no, no. Your Aunt Brit isn't supposed to let anyone else have breeders. They'll be everywhere in no time!" Jeff mentally added it to the list of things he needed to talked to her about.

"Come on, Bri, let's go play with the triplets!" Elphy said to Briton, ignoring her father.

She put her screen away, grabbed the teen's hand, and dragged him off in the direction of his younger sisters and brother. He seemed surprisingly indulgent about hanging out with the younger kids given his earlier words. Jeff was glad for it regardless of the reason. Elphy had grown up with Briton and the triplets and he often worried about the day when they would decide it was uncool to hang out with the younger girl. Cal (Caliban), Cali (Calisto) and Cami (Cameon) where twelve and Jeff recalled his youth well enough to know that a two age year difference could seem enormous to young teens. But thankfully, not today.

Having six children was excessive but everything in Nick's life had been. His youngest three were a strange reflection of his trio relationship with Santana and Brittany. One was genetically Nick and Brittany's child, one was Nick and Santana's and the third was Brittany and Santana's. Brittany had carried them as she had all of their children, even Briton, who was Santana's son with Nick. No one knew the exact genetic parentage of the individual triplets - a deliberate choice by their parents.

Jeff sought out Brittany and saw her standing with his sisters. Ali was having a very animated conversation with the two of them. She was probably complaining about her third husband who was conspicuously absent. Ali's third marriage was careening toward the same end as her first two had.

Brittany at forty two looked as beautiful as she ever had. As a smiled graced her face, Jeff wondered how she could be so strong. He couldn't imagine it, having lost both her husband and wife in the same moment. Losing Nick had nearly destroyed him and he doubted he could have survived it without Kurt. But she'd had her children, family, friends, and had proved more resilient than anyone would have thought. Jeff was ashamed to admit that he'd been no help to her. He'd in fact avoided her and her children in his grief at first. Things were better now but it had taken more than a year to get to that point. Five years later, the wounds weren't so fresh but they were still there.

Jeff decided to forgo talking to Brittany for the moment and headed back to his husband who was still by the grill but was now engaged in a conversation with Jeff's youngest brother, Austin. He hoped that Kurt was being diplomatic. Kurt didn't approve of Austin's choice to have a son by selfing.

The little boy in question, six years old, was running in circles with little Nicky in a game of chase. The boys were laughing and screaming just like any two ordinary children because that's exactly what they were. Jeff arrived mid conversation.

"It's self indulgent and weird."

"Maybe, but isn't having children always self indulgent? Isn't the whole reason just to leave part of yourself in the next generation? As for weird, my son was conceived using the exact same technology as your children so how is it weird?"

"He's a clone!"

"No, he isn't. That's just ignorant, Kurt. Selfing isn't the same thing at all. Cloning is illegal."

"All of his genes came from you. How is that not a clone?"

Jeff had tried to explain to Kurt when Austin had first conceived Aaron but some how explaining gene shuffling, cross over, and referencing plants and slime molds had done nothing to relieve the sheer creepiness factor that seemed to be Kurt's real problem with it.

"Because he's not identical to me." The two boys ran hand in hand off to another group of kids, seemingly oblivious to the adult's arguments. "He's just a kid... my son," continued Austin. "Fifteen years ago, you couldn't have thought that you and my brother could have children together. Not genetically. So how is it any different?"

"I'm sorry," replied Kurt sincerely. "I know intellectually that you're right . And I know it isn't any of my business anyway. I can't help how I feel but I'll try harder."

"Thanks. I guess that all I can ask for. I suppose, it's my own fault for being so open about it. I should have told everyone that I used a donor for half of his DNA."

"No," insisted Jeff. "You shouldn't. You haven't done anything wrong and no one should be saying you did."

"I didn't say that!" insisted Kurt. He couldn't believe they were arguing about this of all things. The reproductive choices of his brother-in-law really weren't his business. "I just said why didn't you use a donor egg or sperm instead of doing something so controversial. I know I shouldn't have even said that - it was thoughtless and I'm sorry. OK?"

"It's OK. Really, Kurt. I'll see you guys later, I'm going to go see what Finn is up to. I haven't seen him since Memorial Day." With that, Austin fled the scene hastily.

Kurt sank into his husband's arms and said "You're not mad at me are you?"

"No, I can't be mad at you. I know you didn't mean to start a fight with my brother. These things happen at family get togethers." Jeff put his chin on the top of his husband's head and squeezed him tight to let him know he really meant it.

"I love you so much," Kurt murmured into his chest. "I'm really happy, you know. With our life together. Happier that I ever thought I'd be when I met you."

"I know. You make me happy too."

"You know, I just wanted you for your hot body back then."

"And that's changed?" Jeff teased.

Kurt kissed Jeff and whispered in his ear "Let's just go inside and I'll show you. No one will miss us." Kurt took his husband's hand and led him away.


End file.
